Observations on politics, news, culture and humor

The Country Estate is written and managed by M. It is called The Country Estate because M. would like to have been a 19th century Russian landed noble of the sort you would find in a Tolstoy or Turgenev novel, with the addition of an internet connection and the subtraction of serfdom. Its aim is to provide readers with wide coverage of politics, news, culture and humor through content observed or written by M. Advice will be given upon request. Periodically, there will also be bilious rants.

M. is originally from Cincinnati, OH and now lives in Seattle. He holds both a B.A. and M.A. from The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. He is a freelance writer and observer of culture. In addition to English, M. speaks Russian, some Uzbek and fiddles around a bit with German. He has traveled extensively in Europe and Russia. He enjoys reading, writing, cooking, watching sports, considering the unintended consequences of actions and listening to comedy and storytelling. His interest in film goes beyond enjoyment and approaches obsession.

M. does not believe an unbiased media is possible or desirable. Instead, he believes potential biases should be disclosed. Thus, it should be noted that M. is a skeptical, culturally Catholic deist with an individualist, voluntaryistAustro-libertarian outlook on world affairs. M. is presently an American citizen but looks forward to his eventual expatriation. He is opposed to voting and last cast a write-in vote for Ron Paul in 2008.